Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Iceland
Iceland: Annual birth rate and peak birth month was 11.5 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
11.5 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
4th
of 41 countries
All-time high
42.72 births per 1,000 people
in 1858
All-time low
11.5 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
186
1838–2023
Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Iceland, 1838–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 11.5 births per 1,000 people for annual birth rate and peak birth month in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 186 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.2% on the previous year and down 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual birth rate and peak birth month in Iceland peaked at 42.72 births per 1,000 people in 1858 and was at its lowest, 11.5 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Iceland ranks 4th of 41 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 186 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 32.47 births per 1,000 people | 32.35 births per 1,000 people | 32.59 births per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1840s | 35.37 births per 1,000 people | 33.42 births per 1,000 people | 37.07 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1850s | 39.18 births per 1,000 people | 37.25 births per 1,000 people | 42.72 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1860s | 36.89 births per 1,000 people | 30.4 births per 1,000 people | 39.64 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1870s | 32.03 births per 1,000 people | 30.8 births per 1,000 people | 33.8 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1880s | 30.41 births per 1,000 people | 27.09 births per 1,000 people | 32.78 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1890s | 31.36 births per 1,000 people | 29.07 births per 1,000 people | 33.85 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1900s | 28.2 births per 1,000 people | 27.32 births per 1,000 people | 28.97 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1910s | 26.39 births per 1,000 people | 25.48 births per 1,000 people | 27.78 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1920s | 26.41 births per 1,000 people | 24.6 births per 1,000 people | 28.28 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1930s | 22.72 births per 1,000 people | 19.88 births per 1,000 people | 26.39 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1940s | 25.52 births per 1,000 people | 20.62 births per 1,000 people | 28.11 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1950s | 28.42 births per 1,000 people | 27.72 births per 1,000 people | 29.05 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 24.51 births per 1,000 people | 20.82 births per 1,000 people | 28.29 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 20.15 births per 1,000 people | 18.08 births per 1,000 people | 22.55 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.96 births per 1,000 people | 16.02 births per 1,000 people | 19.95 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.64 births per 1,000 people | 14.87 births per 1,000 people | 18.79 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.81 births per 1,000 people | 14.13 births per 1,000 people | 15.74 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.38 births per 1,000 people | 12.21 births per 1,000 people | 15.45 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.46 births per 1,000 people | 11.5 births per 1,000 people | 13.59 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More population data for Iceland
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Population density 3.6 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 13,661 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.56 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.56 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 7,879 people (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.56 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious 1.54 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate accounting for survival until childbearing age 1.53 children per women (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual birth rate and peak birth month in Iceland?
- Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Iceland was 11.5 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual birth rate and peak birth month recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 42.72 births per 1,000 people in 1858.
- What is the lowest annual birth rate and peak birth month recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for annual birth rate and peak birth month?
- Iceland ranks 4th out of 41 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual birth rate and peak birth month rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual birth rate and peak birth month. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 186 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.